First ever African Board Games Convention Held in Abuja

This is the kind of story a board gamer like me loves to hear, how our humble hobby is helping to connect and even employ people in other countries. Just a few short weeks ago, The African Boardgame Convention, often called ABCon2016, was held for the first time in Abuja, Nigeria. This is a pretty big deal because this is the first board game convention to be held in Nigeria, and arguably the first along the west African coast. The convention was the brainchild of Kenechukwu Ogbuagu, who also is the founder and Creative Director of KayCee Games, one of the major sponsors of the convention. While there was also a book exchange, music, and spoken word at the convention, board games were still the central focus of the convention.

An aspect of the convention that is special was the overarching theme of ‘Made in Africa’, where the games and items featured were designed and made in Africa. This gives tremendous pride to the creators as these games are uniquely African in both content and construction, and offers a window into their culture. As the field grows, so will the need for manufacturers as well as board game centers for people to play in. Right now Kenechukwu has opened 2 of these board game centers in Abuja, and hopes by December, with some investors, to open an additional 23. This will expand the reach of the board gaming world in the area, allowing more people to come and play as well as employ more people in these game centers.

I wish them all the best of luck, and maybe in the future the Dice Tower may be adding another international board game convention to their attendance list. You can read the full story on Nigerian Television Authority’s website.

I'm an engineer manager by day, board game entusiast by night. I will play most anything once but I love adventure style games and cooperative games, which might explain my unnatural love for the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game series of games.
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